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Buy this Ford vs Ferrari GT40 Movie CarCritics’ Choice: Family Van for Under $20,000
Need to haul the kids’ soccer team and help a friend move? You need a van. So, we asked our car experts to find the best family van for under $20,000.
All in the Family
While crossovers have eclipsed vans as the preferred family conveyance of our time, we often forget what we’ve lost in practicality with this transition, namely cargo and passenger space. As compact crossovers like the RAV4 displace minivans like Toyota’s own Sienna, we’re getting roughly half the cargo capacity and at least two fewer seats. If you’ve got a family that includes two kids and dog, or God help you, three or more kids, a RAV4 just isn’t going to cut it. You need a van.
Buying a family van is like finally getting a pair of jeans that fit your mid-life waistline. It might seem like a concession, but once you’re actually in it, the sheer comfort, convenience, and ease of use will have you wondering why you waited so long.
So, of what is a good van made? Today’s minivan segment, while small, is highly competitive and nearly every entrant is loaded with great family friendly options from the latest safety tech to rear-seat entertainment and much more. For our writers, the only difficulty in finding a great used family van for under $20,000 was narrowing down the myriad of choices.
Jesse Batson – 2017 Dodge Caravan SXT
Short List:
This 2017 Dodge Caravan SXT is my pick for the best family van for under $20,000. ‘Exciting,’ isn’t the word that most people would probably use to describe a van, but when all the features accommodate your families’ needs, it can be an exciting purchase. So, let me explain why this Dodge Grand Caravan is the best choice in this instance.
There are always certain questions to ask when purchasing a used car. Does it perform well? Is it reliable and safe? What is the maintenance going to be like? Is the interior comfortable, whether it’s the quality of the material or the way it is designed? This Dodge Grand Caravan does a good job at checking a lot of boxes.
At $16,495 and 79,800 miles, this van is reasonably priced. The vibrant red color on the exterior is sharp. The lines on a Dodge Grand Caravan aren’t as flashy as the lines on a Chrysler Pacifica, but I like the traditional Dodge look on this van. This SXT trim comes with dual power sliding doors, which is nice for anyone trying to get a group of people (especially kids) in one place at the same time. A power liftgate will come in handy when trying to load up the back in the grocery store parking lot or before heading out on a road trip.
Inside, there are several useful features. Driving is made more comfortable with powered eight-way driver seat adjustments. Satellite radio and Bluetooth are included in this vehicle. The 2017 Dodge Caravan also comes with remote start. After installing a remote start in my own vehicle, I thoroughly enjoy having it on those freezing cold days. The Grand Caravan SXT comes with a nice-sized 6.5″ screen that can be used for controlling any number of features in the vehicle or viewing the rearview camera. Seats are comfortable. They’re also leather, making it easy to wipe up any accidental spills that may happen along the way.
With a van full of humans and pets, there’s bound to be some extra items coming along for the ride. Whether it’s a trip to the store, an hour or two up the road, or a journey to another state, there’s usually some luggage, bags, or bulky items that are going to be stowed in the back. That means you need good storage space. Thankfully, the Grand Caravan offers that.
There are several storage options with the Dodge Stow n’ Go seats that fold flat into the floor. Normally, there is 31.1 cu-ft of cargo room behind the third row, but with the 3rd row folded there is 78.9 cu-ft of space. Folding down the second row increases that storage area to 140.3 cu-ft. That much space should handle hauling any number of large items. No, the entire family may not be able to make a trip to the lumber yard to pick up an order, but it’s at least possible to pick up an order. The 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan can also tow up to 3,600 lbs when properly equipped. It’s not going to be the first towing option you turn to, but, again, it’s nice to have a little versatility in case it’s needed.
The 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan received a four-star overall NHTSA safety rating. All 2017 models have FWD. The 3.6L V6 engine produces a decent 283 horsepower. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that reacts well enough. Altogether, the van earns 17 mpg on city streets and 25 mpg on the highway.
Modern tech, good safety ratings, and well-designed space are all wrapped up for $16,495. That’s a pretty good deal just waiting to be claimed by someone in need of a new family vehicle.
Jesse McGraw – 2015 Honda Odyssey EX-L
Short List:
2019 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
I’m actually in the market for an affordable minivan option. In my search, I keep coming across one model in particular that seems to fit the bill, the Honda Odyssey. Honda has a great track record of producing economical and tech packed vehicles, so the Odyssey stands as a great contender on the used market. I found this 2015 Honda Odyssey EX-L for just under our $20,000 limit. It’s inching pretty close to 100K miles, but Honda models are well known for going well past that point.
That added mileage dips our price enough that we get one of the most important features when it comes to a family vehicle, the rear passenger entertainment. You can have all the seating, cargo space, and safety you could ever want, but if those kids can’t watch Paw Patrol, there’s hell to pay. This EX-L model luckily comes with a flip down rear screen that plays DVDs and features a remote. The actual DVD slot is actually found in the front control stack, so a front seat parent can easily swap discs without having to awkwardly reach back or telling them to “wait till the next exit.” Better yet, Honda provides two wireless headsets, so parents don’t have to endure the constant singalongs or odd Pokémon sounds.
Now for some of the more technical advantages found in the affordable minivan. First, we have seating for up to seven passengers. The way back may be better suited for younger kids, but the second row will have more than enough space for a fully grown teenager on a long road trip. If that third row is just taking up space, Honda made it easy to simply fold them backwards into a rear cargo space. That opens up storage capability to a great 93.1 cu-ft behind the second row. The Odyssey can be further expanded to 148.5 cu-ft when you remove the second row, so moving some furniture from place to place is made easy.
The interior is leather upholstered in this Odyssey EX-L, so any kid messes can be handled with ease. This model also features a sunroof, dual-zone climate control, a backup camera, heated seats up front, plenty of storage compartments, and a slightly dated but appreciated 8-inch infotainment system. The center control stack has tons of buttons and an odd shifter placement, but we’ll forgive those faults at this price.
Finally, under the hood of this family van is a 3.5L V6 paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. This setup is capable of generating 248 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque that’s all sent to the front wheels. You won’t be winning many stoplight races in this thing, but it’s enough to comfortably haul you, your family, and all their things to wherever you’re going. That engine also does alright at the pump with a 22-mpg combined rating, so there’s that to look forward to.
Chris Kaiser – 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited AWD
Short List:
My pick for the best family van for under $20,000 is the 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited with all-wheel drive. But before I extol the virtues of my Yota van, let me walk you through my short list and show you how I landed on the Panglossian best-of-all-possible-minivan-worlds.
My first instinct was to look outside the box on this challenge. The goal of a family van for under $20,000 meant I could widen my scope to include non-minivans. This led me directly to the Ford Ecoline. If you ever wanted to take your extended family on a road trip, the E-350 is the ticket. With a hefty 5.4L V8 and seating for up to 14 people, the E-350 has the power and the space for moving lots of people and their stuff. And the example I found has just over 19,000 miles on it!
But for most families, a standard sized minivan will do just fine. My affinity for reliability and longevity had me looking to Japanese stalwarts Honda and Toyota. As Jesse McGraw expounded above, the Odyssey is about as good as it gets, almost. While the Odyssey does have a lot of cargo space and rear-seat entertainment, one thing it doesn’t have is all-wheel drive.
And that left me with the Toyota Sienna, which does have all-wheel drive. For those of us living up in the snowier climbs of the US, all-wheel drive is a great bonus feature (though snow tires help even more, read here why). Like the Odyssey, the Sienna is loaded with all the modern conveniences from navigation and active safety features to heated seats and a premium JBL stereo system.
The Sienna has seating for up to seven passengers with plenty of room in the third row for adults or teenagers. The Sienna also offers class-leading cargo capacity at a grand total of 150 cu. ft. (with the second row removed) and a 60/40 splitting power third row. The 3.5L V6 offers a good balance of efficiency and power (16 city and 23 highway mpg).
While I like the Odyssey and Grand Caravan, the 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited is my choice thanks largely to its stellar reliability ratings and all-wheel drive.
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